Beginnings

Hello everyone, thank you for visiting my newly-launched blog, Ser Queer, which is Spanish for "Being Queer" or "To be Queer." I'l explain the significance of the title of my blog, as well as the purpose of my blog in the next post. However, Before I start posting, I would like to share a condensed version of my story, much of which occurred in the past 4 years. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back soon.

I was born into a conservative Evangelical family in Southern California. Raised on the teachings of Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family, as well as other prominent fundamentalist leaders, I was lead to believe at an early age that homosexuality was not only wrong, but also sick and sinful. At age fourteen, my older brother came out of the closet as openly gay. The responses and reactions towards his coming out only reiterated his worldview towards homosexuality. After high school, I went on to attend Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, where homosexuality was condemned by school policies. However, it was while in college that I began to notice my own same-sex attractions. Feeling confused and desperate for understanding and help, I joined an affirmation group on-campus that helped young men that were struggling with their sexuality. In this group, we engaged in group prayer, read self-help books that promised to cure us of our same-sex attractions, and asked God to deliver us from our homosexuality.

After spending over a year in this reparative therapy group, I began to rethink my view of homosexuality and started the reconciliation process between my faith and my sexual orientation. In the summer of 2006, I came out as openly gay.
As an out gay student at an Evangelical university, I faced many obstacles with fellow students and the administration. In October 2006, I was forced to withdraw from the university because my sexual orientation and relationship status conflicted with their policies that prohibited “homosexual acts or behaviors.”

Shortly thereafter, I discovered my role as an activist for social justice and equality, leading me to take part in the Soulforce “Right To Serve Campaign” in Los Angeles. In 2007, I continued my work with Soulforce as a member of the Soulforce Equality Ride during a 2- month journey across the United States. I, along with over 50 other young adults, visited Christian colleges and universities that have policies that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Queer students to share our stories and create dialogue about faith and sexuality.

I will be graduating in June from the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in Sociology, and a minor in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies. My research in my field include exploring Queer, ethnic, and feminist social movements, Queer identities and sexual behavior, social inequalities, and the social construction of gay male body image. My interests are very personal, stemming from my own life experiences as a Queer-identified person of color. My experiences reveal a history of oppression and discrimination, which led me of to become an activist for social justice.

To this day, I continue to share my story. As a Queer Chicano activist and a survivor of the “ex-gay” movement, I have spoken about my experiences, as well as the dangers of “ex-gay” therapy through various media outlets in the U.S., as well as on panels in colleges and universities around the country. I have been featured on The Tyra Banks Show, HDNet World Report, and Logo TV, and in several newspapers, including The Detroit News, Merced Sun-Star, and several others.

I am currently pursuing graduate education, where I intend on graduating with a doctoral degree in Sociology. I plan to pursue a career in academia, community outreach, and activism.

My partner is Vincent D. Cervantes